Retrogression
by Angelicxox
Summary: Claire Redfield wanted nothing more but to move forward from the events that have haunted her since 1998. TerraSave gave her a chance to help the world move forward from bio-terrorism and to heal others from their own nightmares. But, when Claire suddenly finds herself kidnapped and on an island she must work against her odds to get out. Yourfaithfulsidekick and my take of RE:REV 2
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! We just like to say that yourfaithfulsidekick and I are very much aware of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 and its storyline but this is our version of it. So we took out Moira and placed in Sherry as well as switched up some of the storyline but other aspects of it are there. Thank you very much for clicking and enjoy =)

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Chapter 1

_'Shit shit shit.'_

Claire Redfield was sprinting throughout her apartment, trying to finish getting ready. That major fundraiser she was hosting for TerraSave was starting at 7:30...and it was 7:00. She already called Sherry Birkin, who was her plus one for the event, and told her to just meet her there so she wouldn't be any later than she was going to be. She was just slipping on her heels when her cell phone rang.

"Ugh, of course." She glanced down at the caller ID and it was a foreign number. With a grunt, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"What the hell is this thing you're going to tonight?" A brute like voice yelled out. She didn't even have to ask who it was.

"Oh hey Chris, it's nice to hear from you too!"

She heard Chris take a deep breath and sigh, "Come on, Claire. I was listening to the news and they were talking about some party at TerraSave and they mentioned you so what is it? For the record I don't like hearing about your life on the news"

"Maybe if you'd call more often you'd know little bit more." She rolled her eyes and readjusted her phone on her shoulder so she can finish getting her bag together. "Chris, I told you this weeks ago! I'm hosting the fundraiser to spread awareness of the current bio-weapons and to stop companies from making them plus to help raise money for relief. And don't get on me for hearing stuff in the news!"

It was supposed to be a big deal. Or, at least, that's what Claire was consistently told from bosses and co-workers day after day. This event was a make-it or break-it kind of deal. After Tricell fell, TerraSave has been getting more and more attention. More than enough for Claire to be put in the spotlight. Claire knew she was charming, witty, and a pretty damn good talker so it wasn't really a shock that she was put in charge of organizing the fundraiser. Working at TerraSave made her feel like she was making a difference in the way that she wanted to. Sure, Chris had asked her to join the BSAA and help in the intelligence department but working on the front lines like that reminded her too much of Raccoon City. She rather be behind the scenes and help others get through what she had 13 years ago. So 5 years ago when TerraSave asked her to work for them she completely jumped at it.

"Oh, right I think I do remember you telling me something like that," Chris responded in a much softer voice than before. Claire was used to it, sometimes he didn't even realize when he would go from brother to father mode.

"Sorry Claire, you know I'm elbow deep in shit over here."

"Its fine, Chris. I'm sorry too I know you're busy over there." Claire actually did feel bad for her brother. For the past couple of months Chris has been in Asia dealing with an outbreak with his team. She knew how much he loved the BSAA but she knew that he rather be back home.

"Yeah...well I know you love parties so you'll do great. I've always hated that sort of thing and," there was suddenly a lot more background noise going on that Claire had to move the phone away from her ear. Chris just grunted in response, "hold on a second, Claire. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE?" Chris shouted out and she heard a faint voice over the line "Captain, we need to start heading over to the rendezvous point and…" "Alright Nivans I'll be there in a minute!" Chris just shouted over the man, "Claire? Sorry I gotta go but I'll call you later on this week alright?" Claire was about to respond when the line went dead.

'_Didnt even let me say goodbye - typical Chris, always in motion__'__. _

The last time Claire has seen Chris, it was nearly two months ago while he was preparing for his trip to Asia. She was glad to be third wheel to dinner with Chris and Jill. Since their private wedding, Chris and Jill have been inseparable ever since her return from Africa. From her time spent with Jill, Claire feels like she's made quite an improvement from the fragile and timid woman who came back from the dead- so to speak. Since then, Claire has started a weekly bar-hopping tradition with Jill for, as Chris would say, 'tamed girl time'. Being around Jill reminds Claire how much Raccoon continues to haunt every single one of them, and what TerraSave is fighting to stop.

'_No pressure, though__'__._ Claire sighed as she applied one more touch-up on her makeup. Once she was done, she took one final look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was down with light curls but who knew how long it was actually gonna stay down before she just threw it up in a ponytail but she was willing to give it a try. She had bought a really nice pant suit for the occasion but at the last minute was talked into wearing a simple fitted blue dress by Sherry. Besides she really didn't have a chance to get super dressed up anymore - so any opportunity to dress up she went for it. By time she was finally ready to leave it was 7:27, giving her less than three minutes to arrive promptly.

'_Oh well, there__'__s nothing wrong about being fashionably late.'_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Perhaps showing up late in style wasn't worth it. Sitting in the back of a taxicab, Claire wondered if she should have just been sober for the night. As the echoes of rush hour and the radio's top 10 of the week blare together, Claire suddenly felt stir crazy. There was no reason for her to be stressed after all- these were things she was used to after all. Was it a gut feeling, or just nerves for seeing over a dozen of political figures? If no one else —

'_Gotta get my mind off this__'_. Grabbing her phone, Claire quickly sent a quick message to Sherry.

"Hi, SherBear! Did you end up getting there okay? I'll have you know my taxi is quite extravagant."

After a few moments, her phone beeped, reading, "Claire! I'm all good! Leon's in town so he offered to drop me off. It's pretty dull at the moment, are you almost here?"

Every instinct of Claire told her not to ask about Leon. What did it matter? The last time they spoke over dinner that ended with a quick goodbye the next morning- almost three weeks ago. That wasn't too bad, Claire assured herself. It was just like any other evening he would stay the night.

'_Don__'__t do it, don__'__t you ask her__' _

Claire impulsively wrote back to Sherry, "Oh? Did he say anything?"

'_Shit__'__. _Quickly regretting her decision, she slumped back a little further in her seat.

It wasn't like Sherry didn't notice the seesaw-like relationship between the two. Claire would always describe the relationship between herself, Sherry, and Leon as a divorced family. Most days she would see Sherry alone, and whenever Leon was around he would check in on her. Then there were the rare occasions like holidays or her birthday when they would all be together. But unlike most divorced parents, the "mom" and "dad" didn't hook up usually after seeing each other then usually aren't in the same room together for a little while.

Sherry usually keeps the relationship between Claire and Leon all their own. Though she would give her two cents whenever Claire would ask, or when Leon would ask about Claire.

Claire thought about Leon every so often, usually when she doesn't hear from him after returning from an assignment. This would be one of those times.

Her buzzing phone pulled her out of her daze to a message that simply said, "He said he's happy that he isn't gonna be around snobby business assholes."

'_And why did I expect anything different? Ugh__'__. _

A sudden stomp on the brake snapped her back to reality. It was time to work her charm.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As old and vast at the room was, it clearly was used over and over again. The floors were polished to the point where Claire nearly slipped on her heel. Tables were spread around the room, each hosting a group of politicians, eager stock buyers, and some family members of TerraSave members. The unwelcoming grey walls toned the atmosphere. The small corner of classical instrument players didn't do much help either. The people and the room itself were just bland. The music was almost as soft as the chatter. But, the only thing in the room that kept Claire from thinking she was in an asylum were the large wall-to-wall windows. The long, white extravagant drapes covered most of the window. Allowing just a peek into the city's lights. But this isn't wasn't the time to lose focus. She faced the elderly man sitting beside her.

"Thank you so much for your donation, Mr. Clark. TerraSave appreciates your cooperation and dedication to this company and to the fight against Bioterrorism!" With a firm handshake and a quick goodbye, Claire waited until the older man was out of sight before she sighed deeply and grabbed the nearest drink she could find. "God, like that didn't get old fast."

"I don't know," Sherry chimed as she playfully elbowed Claire. "I think he was aging by the minute. Maybe if you winked a little more you could have squeezed your way into his will and get way more than what he wrote out."

"Guess this dress does more than I gave it credit for." Claire rolled her eyes, putting the check in her purse. "Believe it or not, I'm kinda rusty at this-."

"Come on, Redfield! That's all you got so far?" Peter, a member of TerraSave for almost a year, was young and definitely got on Claire's nerves. His cocky attitude reminded her a little bit of Leon which she still wasn't sure if that was one of the reasons he got on her nerves or not. But being partnered together for a few months, he definitely got attached to Claire.

Making the checks he collected into a self-made fan, he skipped past Claire, "You're slackin'! Maybe you're getting too _old_!"

"Old?" Claire shot back, feeling slightly offended. "I'll remember that the next time I get your evaluation report, Pete!"

"Shit, I'm just kidding, Red! You know I love you!"

"Uh-huh, sure. You better not lose any of those checks! I'm watching you!"

Sherry shifted uncomfortably. Though she's been on her own for a little over a year, being around large crowds of people still felt uneasy to her. With Claire, a natural people person, always having the crowd's favor- Sherry still felt a little intimidated by it all. She sometimes wondered how Claire always managed to hold herself up to everyone she meets. Even with people like herself, Sherry always felt like she needed to worker harder than most to fit in. She admired Claire, and not just for her people skills. Claire and Leon were like second parents to her- giving her as much support as two complete strangers could. Sherry knew that if it haven't been for them, she would have probably been long gone. Both in Raccoon, and in captivity.

"I'm sorry," Claire offered a small smile as she shrugged her shoulder, "He's the rookie. Gotta keep him on his toes, you know?"

"It's okay, I was just thinking about how…" Sherry hesitated, wondering if she should even bother bringing her anxiety up. Instead she ran her fingers through her hair and thought of the next best thing to talk about. "Leon wouldn't like this at all, huh?"

Claire darted her eyes around the room before looking back at Sherry. She instinctively smiled, taking a rather big gulp of the sparkling champagne. "Oh, he would rather have another assignment with late president Graham's daughter than spend his evening mingling."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind as much if it was with us. Or with you." Sherry eagerly looked to Claire for a reaction. Sherry would never impose her own thoughts about Leon and Claire's relationship- but it didn't hurt to make them sweat a little.

"You know, a clearly sheltered young gal with little to no social skills isn't exactly 'date' material. At least with Leon here, the politicians would feel a little more intimated to give you a little more money."

Claire began aimlessly walking around the room in hopes of running into a potential donor. The topic of Leon always made her feel a little fidgety, of course she would never let anyone but herself see it. Lucky for her, the waiters began walking around with small treats. Perfect excuse.

"And deal with the nagging questions about who that brooding yet dashing guy I brought? I rather have my favorite gal be at my side, hoping to God that they give us better liquor than this."

"Maybe if we just-"

The sound of glass shattering and people screaming interrupted their conversation. Claire instinctively grabbed onto Sherry and pushed her towards the nearest hallway. People were crowding by the exits, trying to exit the room as fast as they could. The sounds of gunfire coming from the center of the ballroom only caused more panic and a higher urgency to get out. Claire was starting to shove herself and Sherry through the crowd when they heard people shouting from the front of the crowd, "Oh my god! The doors are locked! We cant get out!"

Claire quickly looked around and tried to scan the room for another way out. The front of the ballroom was completely covered in glass and men in black were yelling at the crowd. She then noticed that there was a door behind the bar, _'__it probably leads to the kitchens or something. There has to be an exit there__'_ She grabbed Sherry's hand and ran towards the door and went inside. Turns out it wasn't a kitchen, but a small office that probably belonged to the manager of the bar. She quickly locked the door and slid down to the floor with Sherry

'_Oh well better than nothing__' _

Next to her, Sherry was freaking out. "Claire! What the hell is going on? Does this happen at all your fundraisers? Is this supposed to happen?"

"Sherry! Calm down! I don't know whats going on but I need to go and see if everyone's okay. Please stay here and hide behind the desk and wait for me to get back" Claire started to stand up but Sherry pulled her back down and stared at her with pleading eyes.

"No! Claire if you are going out we are going together! I can help you!" Claire smiled softly at Sherry but then sternly shook her head.

"Sherry, its too dangerous for you to be out there. What if they are here looking for you? I can't put you in that kind of danger. So, please as a favor for me just stay here for now." Sherry looked at her sadly and slowing nodded. She knew Claire wouldn't have let her leave and there was no point in fighting her. Claire gave her one quick kiss on the top of her head before jumping up. She quickly looked around the room and stopped to face the desk at the very end of the room that had a bunch of mini-TVs on it. Claire ran over to it and started clicking random buttons until the TVs came to life

"Sherry look! Its the security cameras! See if you can get the sound on this working after I leave. I would try but me and technology aren't really on the best of terms."

"I'll do my best," Sherry timidly said. Claire shot her a quick smile before running towards the door. "Lock the door behind me and don't open this door for anyone else!"

"I know, Claire! Please be safe!"

Claire slowly opened the door and whispered, "Ditto" with a wink. Then she was gone.

Once Claire heard the door click shut she crept behind the back of the bar and tried to look out and see what was going on. She heard shouting but couldn't make out what they were saying. So she slowly worked her way down the bar so that she would be closer to where the shouting was coming from. Once she got to the end of the bar, she started hearing the voices more clearly.

"We are going to ask you all one more time." Someone frustratedly shouted out. "Where. Is. Claire. Redfield?"

Claire's eyes opened wide and gasped. _'__They are looking for me?! What the fuck?! What the fuck did I do?__"_

"We don't know who that is!" A timid sounding woman called out with a bunch of people shouting in agreement. Claire peeked over and recognized her as one of her co-workers. She was at the front of the crowd of people the unknown group had surrounded at gunpoint. She saw various bodies and blood throughout the once dull looking room. Her coworkers were facing this one man at the front of the room - he was wearing a black face mask like everyone else but his mask was a little different. His mask had a green serpent running down the right side of his cheek. This guy must be the leader of the group.

"And even if we did know her and where she was, its not like we would tell you" A male shouted out from the middle of the crowd. Claire didn't even have see who it was before some gunman yanked in him from the crowd - it was Pete.

_'Goddamnit Pete!'_

The snake maskman laughed smugly before he walked over to Pete and grabbed him by the back of his neck, threw him on the ground, and pulled out his gun. "Now, I'm running out of time and patience for this shit. You all will tell me where she is and if you don't I'm gonna start putting a bullet in every single one of you. Starting with him," he said has he pushed the gun towards Pete's head.

"You all have 5 seconds to tell me." Everyone started shouting out not to harm him but the leader just put one hand up.

"5!"

'_...Well shit, guess I get my grand entrance to the party after all.__" _

"STOP! I'm here!" Claire shouted out before standing up and slowing walking around the bar. The entire room got quiet as she walked out towards the center of the room towards the ringleader. Before she could speak, she was overwhelmed by a large group of men.

"Claire Redfield," The man said triumphantly. Shoving Pete over to another henchman, he took a few steps closer to her. "Men! Round up everyone here, I want absolutely no witnesses."

Claire pulled and tugged with every ounce of her strength, but these men meant business. She knew she wasn't going anywhere. Facing the leader of the group, Claire was about to fight back before she felt something get injected into her neck. Before losing consciousness, she hoped Sherry was safe- and that this would just be some terrible twisted dream.

Rather, it was a whole nightmare that was about to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It felt like Raccoon City all over again. Hiding from an unknown danger, wondering if Claire was ever going to come back for her. She knew she could have done something more. Perhaps find a gun and be backup. Sherry, after sharing her interest in possibly joining DSO, begged for some basic training. With only a year and a half of just getting down the basics, she feels pretty confident in at least being backup. Without an official badge, though, she feels pretty useless. Even more so than now.

Checking the lock one more time, she began to feel more uncomfortable being in the dark. With only the monitor screens lighting the room, she figured she might as well make herself useful. The whole wall was covered with screens from top to bottom- progressing from the lobby all the way to the roof. She scanned her eyes quickly for the camera that covered the ballroom. There! Just as Sherry thought, all the people were kept in a tight knit circle with all the men with weapons crowding them in. The angle only covered the corner of the room, facing the windows. The small screen didn't do much favor for the terrorists, or even for the hostages - but Sherry recognized a few older members of TerraSave and Pete in the mix. Two masked men, one of which had a green-like serpent on his mask, began whispering something to one of the other men.

'_Sound, I gotta find out how to turn the sound on! Come on, it can__'__t be too hard!__' _

Scanning the keyboard, she desperately began attempting hitting anything to turn the sound on. Following the monitor screen number to the control panel, she successfully turned the sound on.

"_We are going to ask you all one more time. Where. Is. Claire. Redfield?__"_

'_Claire?__'_ Sherry wondered why these people would be looking for her - could it be a backlash from Chris' work in the BSAA, could Claire have pissed off the wrong crowd?

"_We don__'__t know who that even is!__"_

"_Even if we did know her and where she is, it__'__s not like we__'__d tell you!__"_ Sherry saw that it was Pete who spoke out. She felt sorry for him, probably being no older than herself, he probably just wanted to make a difference. Or be the hero. The way Sherry saw it, being a hero gets you hurt, killed or worse.

Sherry watched anxiously as the snake maskman laughed smugly before walking over to Pete. He grabbed him by the back of his neck, threw him on the ground, and pulled out his gun.

"_Now, I__'__m running out of time and patience for this shit. You all will tell me where she is and if you don't I__'__m gonna start putting a bullet in every single one of you. Starting with him,__"_ he said has he pushed the gun towards Pete's head.

"_You all have 5 seconds to tell me.__"_ Everyone started shouting out not to harm him but the leader just put one hand up. _"__Five!__"_

Sherry began looking around the office for anything to use as a weapon - she couldn't sit there any longer. Before she could even find a flashlight, she heard a familiar voice cry out, _"__STOP! I__'__m here!__" _

'_Claire, no! What are you doing!__' _

Sherry quickly turned back to the monitors, watching Claire get violently grabbed and dragged toward the ringleader. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying to her, other than, _"__Men! Round up everyone here, I want absolutely no witnesses.__" _

Just as the group began to cry out, Claire's head hung motionlessly- clearly no longer able to fight back. The camera suddenly shattered, breaking the connection. Sherry, startled by the sudden noise, stumbled back against the door. Before she can even begin to panic, she heard a clanking noise coming from above her.

'_Oh my god, is something coming from the ventilation duct?__'_ Quickly stumbling into the nearest closet, the room began to fill with a white-like gas. She desperately tried to cover her face, but she already began coughing. She could barely get in the closet before collapsing, with her last hope that by some chance this could have all been some nightmare.

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For Leon Kennedy, it was a very rare occurrence when he was able just to sit down and do nothing. With the job that he holds, he is never off duty. He learned that the hard way earlier this year when he attempted to take a vacation yet was called in order to head to the Eastern Slav Republic in order to investigate possible BOWs. So times like this were very fleeting and he learned to enjoy every second of it.

After Leon got home from dropping Sherry off, he had time to work out then shower. Once he got dressed in dark grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he walked over and checked his phone.

Nothing.

_ 'Hm, I__'__m surprised Sherry hasn't texted me yet. I guess she__'__s having fun with Claire.__'_

He had met up with her earlier today for lunch and to catch up while he was away for his mission. It has been a tradition that they always meet up for lunch the day after he got back - since he never knew how long he was actually going to be in town for. But his lunch dates with her are always one of the highlights of his time home. It was actually by chance that she had gotten a text from Claire telling her that she was going to be running late to that fundraiser she was hosting that night and that she'd meet her there. Leon insisted that he would drive her to the event and pick her up. Even though she was 25, Leon still saw her as the young girl he and Claire saved from Raccoon City - except older looking and not as sad.

He put down his phone and walked over to his fridge and opened it - finding nothing but beer, soda, and Chinese leftovers. He scrunched his nose up as he picked up the food.

_ '__When the hell did I order this?__'_ He grimaced before throwing the food in the garbage. He instantly reached for the beer but stopped and grabbed the soda instead. He didn't want to start that tonight - at least this earlier. Besides, he had to pick Sherry up later from the event with Claire.

His heart skipped a little at the thought of Claire Redfield. Ever since they met in Raccoon City, they have already had a connection - a spark even. Despite everything going on in their lives - and the people - they always met up somehow. They tried officially dating after the WilPharma incidence in Harvardville but that ended horribly. He can't even remember how the fight started or what it was even originally about. But it erupted into huge fight about her insecurities and his commitment issues. They both said things and he walked out. They didn't talk for a really long time and he thought their relationship - whatever it was - was over for good. If it wasn't for Sherry in their lives, they probably would have never talked again but ended up talking again and gotten back to their old habits. Which usually started with dinner and ended with one leaving the next morning. He wasn't sure how long this was going to last before one of issues of their past came up. Its a typical pattern with them - they would start talking again, hooking up, fighting, stop talking. It seemed to work for them.

Still, he cared for Claire regardless. Though, she'll probably never know that - or even believe it.

Leon shook himself from his thoughts. He didn't want to think about this right now. He wanted to just lay back and watch TV and do what a typical American did at night - nothing. He opened his soda and sat down on his leather couch. He pushed the recliner up and reached for the remote. He was just about to click the TV on when his phone rang.

"Of course it would ring. Why wouldn't it?"

Sadly, Leon got up and walked over to his phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Ingrid Hunnigan. He shook his head slightly before he picked up the phone.

"Well, Hunnigan, I feel like this is a new record for the amount of down time I've had. What has it been like a day?"

"I'm sorry, Leon, but something has come up and you are one of the closest agent."

Leon started walking to his closet and grabbed out jeans, "It's okay I know the decision wasn't on you. What's going on?"

"There has been a suspected terrorist attack at the TerraSave fundraiser tonight. I'm not getting a lot of details but…"

Leon stopped listening and his vision went white.

TerraSave.

Claire.

Sherry.

Leon sprang into action and threw down the phone on his bed and quickly put on his jeans and shoes. He grabbed his gun from this bedroom drawer and loaded it. He grabbed the phone from his bed and grabbed his customary leather jacket. He placed the phone on his ear to hear Hunnigan still talking.

"...regular law enforcement has responded and some other DSO agents are on their way. The address of the place is - "

"I know where its at. Send me whatever details you get in."

"Got it. Oh, and Leon...Claire Redfield is one of the people unaccounted for."

Leon ended the call and ran out of his apartment.

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"_Sher__ry? Are you awake, sweetheart?__"_

There were way too many voices. Strange voices. All at once, calling to her. She hated being overwhelmed. Even before Raccoon, Sherry always preferred waking up on her own. Of course, her only exception was the rare occasion when her father was coming home very late.

There wasn't much she remembered fondly of him. Sure, she was a daddy's girl, but that changed when he was promoted at Umbrella. Everything changed, except for those late nights he'd tussle her hair and wake her up. He would look exhausted, completely disheveled. But he'd still smile, and ask her about her day. What she did at school, what her favorite subject was, if she remembered to feed her fish.

And every time, Sherry would jump awake. Hugging her father, eager to answer any questions he had. She never talked about these times with Leon or Claire. In a sense, it was one piece of her past that wasn't defined by that terrible monster that tried to kill her. It was her way of knowing that her father didn't use to be a complete monster - that sometimes, monsters are created.

"_Sherry? Are you awake?__"_

"Miss? Can you hear me? Sir, there's an unconscious female here. Not certain if she's involved in the incident. Ma'am? Can you tell me your name?"

Blurry was an understatement. If that voice would talk any louder, she'd gladly be unconscious again. She slowly opened her eyes and found a young, olive-skinned man. Dressed from head to toe in grey, he stared blankly at her. "Are you alright? Can you tell me your name?"

"Sherry," She weakly replied, accepting his help on her feet. "Sherry Birkin. I need to get help, I-."

"Everything is going to be okay, ma'am. There's help here for-."

"I'm fine," She grunted as she answered, already feeling her genetics assisting her. The headache went away, she can see clearly again. "Who do you work for?"

"Ma'am, if you're feeling better, I need you to follow me. My supervisor will want to talk to you." Leading her away from the office, he clicked his earpiece. "004 to Hawk, we have a witness. Bringing her in for interrogation."

"Those are pretty lame names for government jobs. Did you guys come up with those names all your own, or was that part of the occupation?" Sherry knew she probably shouldn't be bitter, but as Claire would say, Leon's influence definitely is a part of her. And that guy was totally asking for it.

"That's none of your concern." The agent held his hand up, Sherry stopped in her track as he perked his out into the ballroom. As if he was waiting for a signal to move.

"Are you kidding me? I'm fine! I need to -!" Attempting to get past the agent, she saw Leon heading the other way. Her heart skipped, she couldn't believe it. He was here, looking for them. She sprinted past the agent, running straight for Leon. "Leon!"

Hugging him before he can totally turn around, she greeted him with a gripping hug. "Sherry! Thank god you're okay!" He turned himself towards her and lifted her head up, scanning her for any injuries. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" Noticing the agent that was chasing after Sherry, who was now talking amongst his co-workers. Leon glared and slowly positioned himself in front of her, as he continued, "Was that agent rough with you? What happened? Where's Claire?"

Before Sherry could speak, Simmons approached the two. Keeping distance, he crossed his arms, and attempted a genuine voice. "Ah, Miss Birkin. So pleased to see you are in one piece."

Sherry offered a small smile, while Leon gladly gave his dirtiest stare. Though Simmons and Leon very rarely touch base, when they do it was over Sherry.

Claire had complete access to see Sherry, no questions asked. Leon? That was a whole other story. Because Derek Simmons was Sherry's legal guardian, he felt Leon was a negative influence on her. He didn't know Leon personally, but the agent's reputation was enough for Simmons to feel he was too "toxic" to be around Sherry. It was Claire who insisted on allowing Leon some visitation rights whenever he was home from his assignments.

"Now that you're here," Simmons proceeded to take out a pen and paper, "I can really use your assistance to this...terrible incident. Can you tell me what you are doing here? What exactly happened?"

Finally stopping his glare, he turned to Sherry. Gently, he said, "You don't have to talk right now if you don't want to. Get a drink or-."

"No!" Sherry insisted, coming off a little bit more upset than she meant. She felt flustered, running her fingers through her mangled hair, she sighed. "Thank you, Leon, I'm fine- but, Claire- whoever started this whole thing wanted her. If she didn't get me out of here in time…" Sherry felt drained, useless. She took a deep breath, composing herself before continuing, "I'd probably be gone too. They took her, Leon. She told me she'd be okay but, they meant business. This wasn't just a TerraSave thing, they wanted her.

"Did you recognize anyone? Did you hear where they were going?

"No, not really. I was able to get some of the recording before some gas knocked me out. There was this man, he had some kind of snake tattoo of some sort on his mask and his voice was deep."

"Snake? What kind of snake?

"I'm not sure...I think it was a serpent? The camera was kind of blurry." Sherry sighed, crossing her arms and looking away from Leon. Feeling completely crappy, she said in a small voice, "I'm sorry, Leon, I should have done something I should have backed her up. I should have fought back, I'm sorry."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Leon reassured her, "No! You did great. If you went out there you would have been taken plus we wouldn't have gotten that video. You did a good job, Sherry."

Sherry knew this wasn't about her anymore, not when Claire was missing. "Leon, we have to find her. We have to tell Chris, we got to do something-!"

Leon unintentionally smirked, "First, we aren't telling Chris anything until we have something more concrete. The guy already dislikes me and if I have to tell him his sister is missing I would at least like to have found her so he doesn't kill me. Second, 'we' are not going to find Claire. You did a good job but I'll do this alone. I don't want you near any of this."

Sherry was stunned for a second but then recovered, "Leon-!"

"For the record", Simmons chimed in, "neither of you will have to do anything. I will take the footage, have my specialist look over it, and from there I'll dispatch a few of my own agents to look into this 'serpent masked man'."

"Oh fuck that," Leon snapped, "I will work this case with your approval or not."

Simmons narrowed his eyes at Leon and was about to respond when Sherry spoke up

" Mr. Simmons, these terrorists were after specifically Claire. Yes, hostages were taken, but their main intent was her. Sending Leon is your best chance for keeping this under wraps - as you want, sir. He will get her back, I know he will. And you won't need to involve anyone else."

Leon smiled at Sherry. He appreciated her vouching for him - especially since he was leaning more towards punching this guy in the face rather than talk reason to him. Simmons looked as if he swallowed something sour. He hesitated a moment before answering.

"Mr. Kennedy," he said like his name was acid, "do you believe you can find Ms. Redfield before this situation gets out of hand?"

Leon smirked confidently, "Do I really need to remind you that I found President Graham's daughter before anyone knew she was missing?" Leon remembered that mission like it was yesterday since it was his first assignment for the Secret Service for President Graham. He still wasn't sure if the reason they hired him was because they knew Ashley was missing and wanted his experience to find his daughter or if it was just a big coincidence and luck really wasn't on his side when it came to his first day of work.

Simmons shrugged slightly like his experience wasn't convincing him. "I will approve you to go only if you follow my orders. Do you agree, Mr. Kennedy?"

'_Who the hell does this guy think he is? I mean sure he__'__s the National Security Advisor but that doesn__'__t mean he outranks my supervisor...right? Shit, I don__'__t wanna get it trouble - ah fuck.__'_

"Yeah, sure." Leon said reluctantly.

Simmons grinned widely, "Perfect. Ms. Birkin, can you please go retrieve that footage you were talking about earlier for Mr. Kennedy?"

Sherry timidly looked at Leon and Simmons before slightly nodding her head. "Yes, sir." With that she turned around and walked towards the office. Leon observed Sherry as she walked away. Leon knew Sherry was hurting more than she was letting on and it was probably something she didn't want to bring up around Simmons. He didn't blame her, he just hoped that she wouldn't bottle it all inside. He knew the hard way how that could affect a person.

"I want you to find Ms. Redfield, Mr. Kennedy." Simmons stated which snapped Leon out of his thoughts, "I don't care who's alive or dead. If she's alive, you must debrief her immediately then bring her to me. On the chance you don't find her or if she's dead, I want evidence but I also want you to contain the problem if you understand what I'm saying."

'_Contain the problem. Thats the nice way of saying don__'__t leave anyone alive.__'_

Leon shook his head and spoke firmly. "I'm going to find her alive and I'll find out who took her and why. There is no alternative for this."

"Excellent attitude, Mr. Kennedy. I'm sure you'll think the same for Sherry and her safety which is why I'm going to bring her back to the base and keep her in isolation."

"No," Leon said with force, "she isnt going back to the base. I'll call Jill Valentine, she can watch Sherry. She's more than capable of protecting her if it comes to it." Jill Valentine is probably one of the strongest people Leon knew. Despite all the shit she went through in Africa with Wesker, she still maintained a strong will and strength. If Leon would have to leave Sherry with anyone - that wasn't himself or Claire - it was Jill.

"Ah, Ms. Valentine. I dont think we should put even more stress on her especially with her mental conditions." Leon clenched his fist up automatically.

'_Jill is a goddamn hero and is more mentally stable than you will ever be you egoistically__ jackass__' _Leon took a deep breath in and out. _'__Remain calm__'_

"After all," Simmons continued, "do I really need to remind you that Albert Wesker never got to her throughout all of the years she was under my protection?" Simmons smugly smiled afterwards. He probably thought he was so clever using Leon's own words against him.

"You don't have to remind me, I was part of her security team." Leon was really hoping Sherry would come back soon. He couldn't stand another minute with this guy. "And, for the record, Jill Valentine knows how to handle herself. She's been through hell and back and still came out on time and I wouldn't discredit her so easily."

"Maybe we should ask her what she thinks. Ah, here she is now."

Leon glanced to see Sherry making her way towards them with a flash drive in her hands. Once she got close enough, she held out the drive to Leon, "The sounds a little fuzzy and its not that long but its something at least." Leon reached out and took the drive from her and smiled at her warmly.

"Thanks for all your help, Sherry. Now, I'll drive you back to your apartment so you can pack some stuff and I'll drop you off with Jill. I'll get you once I come back with Claire."

"What?" Sherry nearly shouted, "No way, Leon, look I get it you're trying to protect me. But, I'm not that little girl in Raccoon, anymore! I've been trained, just like you, and I can clearly take any hit with no damage-!"

"No." Leon said firmly, "Just because you can heal yourself from the G-Virus doesn't mean you should just go out and get yourself hurt - OR that I would be okay with you hurting yourself just because you can heal faster. I will not let anything happen to you. You are staying here."

"But," Sherry cried, both hurt and frustrated at Leon's persistence. "I am not going to sit here and do absolutely nothing! I care about Claire too!"

Like a predator waiting to strike, Simmons seized the opportunity to step in. "Perhaps there is a way for both of you to get what you want, hm? Miss Birkin, I trust your skills enough to allow you access to this investigation."

"Really?" Sherry gleamed, eager (for once) for him to finish.

Leon, on the other hand, quickly glared at the older man. "What do you think you're-?"

"Who better to supervise you than Mr. Kennedy? I've been told you have been doing exceptionally well in your training and this seems to be the perfect opportunity for you to...grow, in a sense, as a- let's say, potential agent for the DSO, hm?"

"WHAT?" Leon and Sherry both harmonized, one clearly more lower than the other. Leon stepped in closer to Simmons, instinctively putting Sherry behind him. Trying to keep his composure, he stated, "You think putting her out on the field is safe? Did you lose your fucking mind? That is putting an even bigger target on her back-!"

Sherry was nearly in her own world. Finally, after all these years, she has a chance- her chance, to make a difference. She couldn't contain her own excitement, nearly bouncing she exclaimed, "Yes, Mr. Simmons! I will do my best! I promise, I will bring Claire home and bring justice to those who took her!"

"Sherry, no!" Leon hissed, glaring daggers at Simmons. "Simmons, if you're doing this to piss me off you succeeded. I'll follow your orders, just don't send Sherry." Sherry felt like a dagger hit her chest. Leon, the man who went to hell and back for her, is refusing her as a partner to save Claire?

Simmons smirked, almost as if enjoyed seeing Leon so conflicted. "It has been decided. Now, I know Miss Birkin is in good hands. You both will leave as soon as any leads have been made. I'm speak to you two very soon. Good evening, Mr. Kennedy, Miss Birkin." With a slight nod to the two, he proceeded back to his team.

'_Yep, keep smiling, asshole.__' _Crossing his arms with a huff, Leon grimaced, "God, I swear I will punch that guy square in the face one day."

Expecting to her to laugh at his joke, he was greeted with an eerie silence. He looked over his shoulder at the younger woman. Her pale eyes were piercing at him, filled with sadness and doubt. Leon felt his heart tug when she asked, weakly, "Leon...I thought you'd be happy for me. I worked so hard for this. Aren't you proud of me?"

"Sherry," Leon said softly, "I...thought you wanted to be free of this life. Being an agent is going to drag you right back into hell and I...I don't know if you could get out of it this time."

There was no hesitation in her voice. Her face shifted, now with a confident and firm look that almost reminded him of Claire. She spoke, "And let some other little girl see the things I've seen? Have someone else lose everything and everyone you know because the world was falling around you? It's time for me to do my part, Leon. I'm ready. I need to make things right."

With a proud smile, Leon sighed, "I'm not gonna be able to talk you out of this, am I?"

"Nope," Sherry shrugged, "Afraid not! We are getting Claire back, together."

'_Damn, she__'__s getting more and more stubborn__'__. _Smiling to himself, Leon shook his head. "Jesus, Claire was a bad influence on you."

Wrapping her arm around his, Sherry rested her head on Leon's shoulder. "You know, it's funny you should say that. Cause' Claire says the same thing about you to me." With a small laugh, she stopped. Reality hitting right back at her. She gripped Leon's arm tighter, her voice small once again, "She's...going to be alright, right?"

Leon wanted to believe that. Hell, he had to. There was no room for doubt. Especially about Sherry, and Claire. Forcing a laugh, Leon put his arm around her. "Are you kidding? Not only is she a Redfield, but she's got both of us coming to get her. She's in the best hands. But, I'm afraid you are going to have to learn a few ground rules of mine."

Lifting her head up, she raised an eyebrow and laughed, "I thought there were no rules when you're on the field? Just to be smart, be safe, and don't die."

"Ha, well, there are special rules for you."

"Leon, I really don't think that's necessary-."

"Oh, it is very necessary. Trust me, they're easy to learn and mandatory to follow."

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"I know, the suspense must be killing but- don't worry, you'll know soon enough."

Feeling for the first time in her life, Sherry felt completely satisfied with relying on hope. She knew Leon's capabilities, Claire's experience, and now her own - there was no room for doubt anymore. Smiling to herself, Sherry looked up to Leon. "Whatever you say, partner."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_So what is it gonna be this year? Life? Clue?"_

_Claire was shifting through a shelf that had a bunch of different board games trying to find one that Sherry might want to play. Every year on Sherry's birthday, Claire and Leon would come to play a game and watch a movie together. There had been a few years when Leon wasn't able to make it due to his job but he was able to make it this year. Claire glanced over her shoulder to see Sherry slightly slumped on her bed, disinterested in the board game search._

"_Psh, yeah, lets play "Life". I'll probably suck at it since I have none." Sherry grunted._

_Claire sympathized with Sherry since it was always around her birthday that she got depressed about never being allowed to leave the base where the government was keeping her. The room that they gave Sherry wasn't that bad - more like a glorified dorm room with slightly better furniture and a bigger TV. It had been a very bland room whenever Sherry moved in years ago but throughout her time there various posters and pictures made its way up on her wall. It definitely seemed much more homey but Claire couldn't even imagine spending most of her time in this room - or at the facility even. Claire always tried to get permission to get her off the base for the day but it was a constant struggle - especially with Albert Wesker, that toolbag, still lurking around. _

"_Come on, Sherry," Claire said reassuringly, "cheer up! Leon should be getting here soon and so we can't disappoint him and not have a game picked out!" She noticed that Sherry was still sitting sadly on the corner of her bed so Claire walked over and sat down next to her._

"_Listen, I'll try really hard to get you out for your birthday next year. I'll start campaigning tomorrow for it! Simmons is a prick sometimes and I'm sure I can wear him down enough to finally give into me. Please don't be sad." _

_Sherry looked up and smiled slightly before nodding her head. _

"_Okay, okay. What about Mall Madness?" _

_Claire jumped up and clapped her hands, "Sweet! I love that game!"_

_They had just finished setting up when Sherry's door buzzed open and Leon waltzed in looking at his watch and holding his jacket and a gift bag. _

"_Okay, so my 3 hour time limit begins right now and-" Leon looks up and sees the game set up at Sherry's table and gives a pained look. "Oh no not the shopping game". Leon placed down his coat and gift and begrudgingly sat down at his spot at the table. "Oh well, you all are going down!"_

_They played for an hour and a half and laughed the entire time. Claire loved these moments with the Sherry and Leon. She would feel as if her time here spent with them was like an escape from the dark world that they lived in. No zombies, no viruses, no evil company with a different agenda every week. Just her extended family._

_Sherry only made it through half the movie before passing out on Claire's lap but who knew how long she was actually asleep before she noticed. She smiled before carefully elbowing Leon and pointing down at Sherry's sleeping form. Leon smiled and laughed softly at the sight. Leon scooted a bit closer to Claire and whispered to her, "I'm still her favorite."_

_Claire, slightly gasped and lightly slapped Leon's shoulder. "Oh yeah, thats why she wanted to sit next to me."_

_Leon shrugged and smirked at her, "She didn't want you to catch on so she was throwing you a bone."_

_Claire smiled back at Leon but lost it when she looked down at Sherry peacefully sleeping. "Leon, do you think she's happy? I mean she's basically stuck here but do you think we're enough for her?" _

_Leon was a little taken back with the question but after a few moments he somberly responded, "I really hope she is. Its what I tell myself. I dont think I would know what to do if she weren't." _

_Claire nodded in response. She understood exactly what he meant. She was starting to watch the movie again when she felt Leon nudge her._

"_You know, she loves you right? Everytime I see her she always asks about you and tells me stories about the both of you all the time. You are her role model. You will always be enough for her." Claire smiled at Leon, gratefully that he knew exactly what she needed to hear. She guessed that's what knowing each other for 5 years did to people. _

"_Ditto with you. I think I am getting sick of hearing, 'Oh my god, guess what Leon told me'." Claire joked as Leon playfully shook his head. "But seriously, Leon, she loves you a lot. She has since Raccoon City."_

_Leon nodded and looked down at Sherry. "You know, I still have nightmares about that place. It always revolves around me not being able to protect you or Sherry." _

"_I do too," Claire agreed, "I always think of what would have happened if we didn't get out in time or if we didn't get the cure for Sherry." Claire didn't like to think about Raccoon City too much. She always felt like she could have done something more to help out that night but could never figure out how._

_Leon then carefully placed his arm over Claire so that Sherry wouldn't be woken up and whispered to Claire, "You are probably the closest friend I have. You can come and talk to me about this whenever you want. We both lived through it and we can both help each other, and Sherry too."_

"_As can you, Leon" Claire said reassuringly. She then laid her head on his shoulder. "Also, you owe me that dinner."_

"_Wait what?"_

"_Remember last month when you were fighting with Simmons and you were convinced that you weren't gonna be able to come tonight and I said that if I handled Simmons and got you to come you'd have to buy me dinner? And here you are and I don't see my dinner, just saying."_

_She felt Leon chuckle. "Well, I guess I do. Just pick a time and place and I'll pick you up."_

_Claire nodded into his shoulder as they fell back into the movie. Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier until she couldn't take it anymore and finally gave into sleep._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Claire woke up, she definitely wasn't in Sherry's old room. She tried to open her eyes but her vision was still very blurry, both of her ears were ringing, and she felt as if something extremely heavy was sitting on her. In other words, she felt like shit. Once she felt better, she started to open her eyes.

Once she opened her eyes, a bright was shining at her. She tried to cover her eyes from the light, but felt something hard and tight wrapped around her wrists. Using as much of her energy as she could, she pulled herself up. A wave of nausea hit her, sending her straight back to the floor. There was definitely movement; was it a plane? How long has she been out?

As she tried to gain her senses back, she could hear voices nearby. Looking up, she could see two men sitting at the front of the plane. Both were dressed in black from head to toe, the voices seemed familiar. But then again, every bump or noise just gave Claire a bigger headache.

A deep voice said, "I'm tellin' ya, man, this is just bullshit."

The pilot slightly turned his head, "What are you talkin' about? A good amount is coming in our way, all we gotta do is drop off the chick and we're free as birds. Didn't even need to get our hands dirty."

"Well, what about those other people in the back? I dunno why we need to babysit a bunch of cocky-stuck-up business folk."

'_The others?' _

Completely lying on her side, she slowly turned her head to look behind her. Each seat sat a member of TerraSave, many of whom Claire has worked well with.

'_Wait...why am I on the floor and everyone else has seats? Ugh - rude. They knock me out they could at least give me a seat.' _

Sitting herself up, she began to search her surroundings.

"Quit bitching already, Hank, only a few more hours until the rendezvous point and then we'll get our pay."

With both her hands and ankles bound, Claire knew she couldn't do much. Especially without making a peep. But she couldn't just sit around- there had to be something.

"Tommy, how do we even know if this guy is paying us up front like he says? Who the fuck is this guy anyway?"

"My men I've talked to has heard of him before- Alex, or whatever he calls himself, goes to every outskirt mercenary group in Europe and Asia and pay them handsomely to work for him. I've seen it myself. My sources say he's a doctor of some sort- he's engineering some kind of "cure" for some shit I dunno. But he needs some," Hank, laughed deeply, "test rats. And apparently, he needs a lotta rats."

"I still get the fucking creeps around him, man. He's just so...unnerving. Did you see the way he fucking smiled at us when he left? Fuck the money man, I can't wait to be done with him."

"Whatever, man, this guy just better have- HEY!" Claire instantly looked over, looking her kidnapper straight in the eye. "She's awake! Fuck, you told me it would keep her out!"

Shit. Claire was quickly grabbed by the man, and once again injected with another serum.

'_Not again….'_

"Next time she's awake, it's with the boss. I'm doing dealing with this bullshit."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

With one hand supporting her head and the other on the keypad, Sherry could feel her eyes getting heavier. Leon, sitting beside her, kept his eyes glued on the screen. Sitting in silence for some time, Sherry held her tongue for a while now. Leon was persistent. She knew he wasn't going to quit unless he found something new.

Finally having enough, she finally spoke, "Leon, look, it's been more than three hours now. If there was anything new we would have seen it, shouldn't we-?"

Running his fingers through his hair, Leon groaned. Frustrated, he reversed the tape, "There has to be something other than that serpent there. Unless the lack of evidence alone means something."

"We checked all the exterior cameras, all of the kitchen access codes and surveillances, all of the hallway blueprints and cameras- it's almost like they were invisible." Sherry sighed, feeling both exhausted and defeated. "I guess that serpent's all we got."

He couldn't accept that. It was never that easy. Leon continued to watch the video, responding, "This can't be the first time they've done this. It could explain how they got in and out so easily. These aren't some guns-for-hire, they're professionals."

"So," Sherry sat up, slowly putting the pieces together. "we're looking for someone who clearly as the money and resources to be able to pull this off? I mean, TerraSave is a little too political, but could Claire have just pissed off another bad corporation?"

"If they wanted to take just her, they definitely were very public about it. Besides, they almost took everyone they didn't kill. They wanted her, specifically. But, why take everyone else? Casualties were at a minimum, but it's easier for them to kill the hostages than to sneak out so many."

"And pretty messy. They could have just taken Claire and snuck out without a single peep. They wanted to be seen. I don't know what's worse, that these men are working for someone who's really sloppy or someone who is really confident." Letting her own words sink, she began to feel the guilt. "I should have been with her. I could have convinced her to let me go with her. Maybe they would have let her go if they knew who I-..."

"Sherry," Leon cut in, his voice comforting. "don't think like that. If you went with her, they could have used you against her." He smiled, "Besides, I wouldn't have a partner if you went with her which is a good thing cause I am a much better partner than her."

Sherry let out a small chuckle, "Sure, Leon, as long as you aren't driving anything." She looked back down at their notes - or lack thereof and sighed. "Anyways, how are we even gonna find out any information about this serpent symbol? Something tells me a Google search isn't gonna cut it."

"Oh, thats the easy part." Leon nonchalantly replied as he pulled out his phone, "I'll just call Hunnigan. She has access to a bunch of information and if anyone could find anything its her." He pushed a few buttons on his phone then it started to ring. Only a few moments passed before Hunnigan appeared on his screen.

"Hi, Leon. How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright, thank you." Leon spoke kindly as he moved his phone so both himself and Sherry were both seen by Hunnigan. "We were just wondering if you could do some research on this man with the serpent symbol. I'll forward you the footage we have from the security cameras. Hold on." Leon reached into an inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a wire that he connects from his phone to the computer. Leon quickly downloaded the footage onto his phone then forwarded it to Hunnigan. "Let me know when you get it"

Leon could hear the quick clicks from a keyboard before he saw Hunnigan nod, "I got it. Green serpent, huh? This looks familiar but I can't say for sure where. Let me run this through our systems and the BSAA's as well. Give me a minute to run a search and if something pops up in the BSAA's files, I'll contact an intelligence agent for you. Hold on." With that, the screen went dark so he set down the phone.

Leon was really hoping that Hunnigan would come back with something, anything, really. He just needed something to go on so he can actually get out there and start looking for Claire. Every moment that he didn't have a definite direction made him more anxious. He knew of the saying that after the first 48 hours, if you don't find the missing person then the chance of finding them alive decrease significantly. Leon didn't want to think about that at all but he couldn't help it. He felt so useless right now, he needed to get up and actually do something.

"BSAA?" Sherry spoke, snapping Leon out of his thoughts, "Do you think this means that the group behind it could be connected to Chris?"

Leon made a face and shook his head, "No, I don't think so."

'_What luck would that be? I mean we all can't have that kind of luck that somehow we are all connected to each other's fate. Well I guess with the type of people we piss off, it shouldn't be that surprising.'_

"I mean, it wouldn't be too shocking if the BSAA saw them before." Sherry said slowly, as if she was trying to connect the pieces in her mind, "That would mean they are a terrorist organization right? It would explain the group tactics. Do you think thats why Chris is in Japan?"

Leon curtly shook his head, "No, Claire told me that Chris is there investigating BOW sightings not some mass-kidnapping group."

Sherry started doodling on the notepad in front of her as she got lost in thought. Leon could just tell she was starting to lose faith, hell he was just talking himself out of a hole a few minutes ago. Maybe he could cheer her up somehow.

"Hey," He said as he threw an arm around her, "why don't I tell you a funny story about Claire and me."

Sherry gave him a quizzical look and nodded, "I guess we have time to kill while we wait on Hunnigan."

"So," Leon began, "Claire and I were trying to get you out of the base for one of your birthdays So, we both went to talk to Simmons to try and convince him to release you into our custody for the day." He chuckled, letting himself get lost in the memory, "Well, lets just say it did not go well. He was being a super douche, as per usual, and was just not entertaining the idea at all. So I was getting mad and we started arguing and he even threatened to take away my visitation rights."

"No way!" Sherry exclaimed. She knew Simmons didn't like Leon at times, but enough to the point where he wouldn't be allowed to see her?

"I know, right? Asshole. Anyway, out of nowhere, Claire just swoops in and ends up convincing Simmons to let you out into her custody. I was just so amazed how she was able to get to him. So I guess want I'm trying to show is that Claire could talk herself out of any situation so this one is no different."

'_That's Claire, alright! Always able to talk her way out of anything!' _

Laughing, Sherry smiled. "She's good you gotta give her that! She told me that one time she convinced you that you missed some special event and because of that, you had to take her to dinner- where she ordered the most expensive stuff on the menu!"

"Oh yeah, she got the lobster and the most expensive bottle of wine. She thought she got me, but like always I was always a step ahead. I got her to pay for that taxi ride home."

"Or," Sherry smirked, nudging his shoulder. "maybe you just wanted an excuse to take her to dinner, hm?"

Leon was about to respond when his phone suddenly lit back up.

"Leon, Sherry- you two still there?" Hunnigan's voice snapped them back into reality. Her face was back on the screen, continuing, "I contacted the BSAA Intel Support, I'm going to patch them through-."

'_Them?' _

Leon quickly protested, "Who exactly are we talking to?"

"Trust me," Hunnigan smirks confidently, "Trust me, you'll be talking to the best. Ms. Valentine, are you in?"

"Loud and clear." Appearing in a second screen next to Hunnigan was Jill Valentine. She gave them a small smile and nod once she appeared on the skin. Her short brown hair was loose but out of her face. If you looked close enough, you would be able to see blonde slowing seeping in from her roots. Ever since her experience with Wesker, she couldn't get her hair to stay brown but she was always on top of it. She didn't like having a constant reminder of her time with him. But other than her hair becoming difficult and a slightly paler complexion, she was the same Jill Valentine as always. After returning, Jill wanted to go back out into the field with Chris again, but it was strongly recommended for her to step down and join Intel Support, which definitely put Chris' mind at ease.

"Jill!" Sherry smiled, offering a small wave to the camera.

"Well," Hunnigan's brow furrowed, biting her lip she spoke softly. "Well not just Jill-."

"Jill!" Leon exclaimed over Hunnigan, "Oh thank God it's you. I was almost concerned that it was going to be Chris. But Chris definitely wouldn't be in the Intel Department."

Suddenly, another camera popped up. On the screen was a young male, probably around Sherry's age. Sherry was taken back at first, expecting to see Chris. He was definitely good looking- his short brown hair, his light hazel eyes were sharp and focused.

Looking up at the screen, he looked over next to him, "All good to go, captain. The connection is a little fuzzy but if you click this button you-."

"I KNOW HOW THIS WORKS PIERS!" A chill went down Leon's spine, he knew that brute voice from anywhere. And seeing the man take a seat in front of the camera just proved Leon's fear. "What was that, Kennedy? Not cut out for the Intel Department?"

'_Oh, fuck me.'_

Chris was decked out in his BSAA gear, so this meeting thing probably caught him just as off-guard as it did Leon. Leon knew Chris was pissed and he could tell just by looking at him. He was stiff and Leon swore Chris' glare would definitely kill him if it could. Leon just wasn't sure if the anger was focus on the situation or him. It was probably a mixture of both.

"I'm sorry," Jill offered a half smile, feeling the tension starting to build. "I patched Chris in. He was the captain of the latest squad to have any up close exposure to this. And I figured he should be here, so let's get down to it. This isn't the first time the serpent guy had gotten on our radar. There have been several sightings of him in various countries over the past 18 months. Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa are just some of the places he has been seen. But wherever he has been spotted, the nearby villages or towns' inhabitants have always vanished. We've had some teams look into it but they have always come out empty handed."

The young male from earlier, Piers, stepped behind Chris to be in the camera. He had a file in his hand, and though his voice shaky, he was definitely one of Chris' guys.

"Lieutenant Nivans here. His teams are mostly recon- getting in, getting out. Very quick, we mostly get him through pictures of eye witnesses, the little we get. As far as we go, we haven't been able to get a hand on him or anyone working within his team. He may be quick on his feet, but his trail is messy. More specifically, we noticed, around Germany's borders. We just got a few anonymous tips that they're planning on hitting a small pharmaceutical group, for what we have no idea. But, that may be the lead you two are looking for. As for the one pulling the strings on these guys? Try looking into the bigger figures, what they all have in common. Especially groups like TriCell was, they had to get their hands dirty at some point. That's the link you need to find."

Jotting down what Piers was saying, she occasionally looked up at the screen but the last time she perked her head up she took really good look of him. He was kinda cute.

'Snap out of this Sherry! This is not the time for this!'

"This is Piers Nivans," Chris introduced, "He's my - what is it now, fifth ranking? He was part of Alpha Team when we were investigating."

"Fifth?!" Piers hissed, clearly offended. "Are you serious? I'm-!"

"TriCell?" Sherry cut in, hoping to keep the information going. "I heard about them. They were the company in South Africa. But, what about WilPharma? What was his name- Frederic? Frederic Downing? Could he be involved?"

"Probably not," Leon stated, "He was a puppet for someone else. He didn't even know the true identity of the person he was working for. Besides he's in prison still I doubt he would be doing anything."

Jill continued, "I would say the best course of action is to go to Germany and investigate that town. Chris' team had to be pulled out to handle the situation in Asia so there could still be evidence there."

"Maybe I should go out there and investigate myself. I know I could get this done." Chris spoke arrogantly, but Jill knew that wasn't what he meant. She knew the look in his eyes, he didn't want to go just to prove something. He wanted to be the one to be sure his sister was safe. She couldn't blame him, but she also knew he wouldn't back down so easily.

Chris scoffed, "Besides, I don't know how good of a job Kennedy would do. I mean theres no president out there to protect."

Leon cringed, using all of his willpower to bite his tongue. He wasn't some bodyguard, that was for sure. He's gone above what his job description calls for - not like he'd brag or anything.

"I'm just as good as you, Chris. In fact, I'm better since I'll probably need to be stealthy for this mission and you have the stealth ability of blind elephant."

Sherry had enough of it. "Leon! Chris!" Leon turned to her, as Chris continued to stare down at the screen. Sherry tensed up, her voice shaky, "Bickering about it isn't going to change anything. This isn't going to help find Claire and bring her back. Jill, send us the coordinates. Chris, Mr. Nivans, any reports that you have of the Serpent group would be really helpful. Once we're there we'll try to see what trail they left behind."

Piers looked directly at her, clearly trying to fight a wide grin he smirked. His voice was soft, "It's just Piers, thank you. But sure, yes, ma'am. I'll patch it through to Jill- I mean, Ms. Valentine."

Leon glanced back and forth between Sherry and Piers. He was smiling way too much, and Sherry's cheeks was turning a light shade of pink. Sherry really hasn't dated much since getting out on her own, or at least to his knowledge. Not really wanting to deal with the prospect of that right now, he slightly glared at the young man,"Okay, thanks."

Chris didn't budge. "I really don't feel comfortable letting him handle this."

Leon's voice deepened, knowing how much his words would hurt. "Don't you recall that I was the one who told you where to find Claire last time along with the fact you didnt even know she was missing? Do you remember who she contacted to help her? Oh, that's right, me. And with Jill-."

Chris stood up so fast that his chair fell to the floor behind him. "Do you really wanna go there, Kennedy? I'll come over there right now and-."

"Guys! Please!" Jill spoke sternly but in a flash her expression softened, "Chris, I think Leon and Sherry will do a good job and they will find Claire. And if they are having trouble they could always call us for assistance." Jill turned her attention towards Leon and Sherry "Isn't that right?"

Piers clearly felt out of place now. He nervously took his eyes off the screen and looked over at Chris. He knew the risk of speaking out of terms, but he felt a sense of urgency. Nervously, he spoke, "And if necessary, I'm sure Chris can send a small team to back them up."

"We appreciate your support, but Chief Simmons specifically requested the BSAA's assistance only for Intel Support." Hunnigan knew how clear Simmons was about that. He didn't have anything personal against the BSAA, not that she knew, but the BSAA and DSO never really did get along too well.

"Thats fine", Leon glared right at Chris as he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't need a team to get a job done."

"Chris, I promise you," Sherry reassured him, "we are doing everything we can to get Claire back. Please trust us, Leon and I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Chris muttered to himself, contemplating the situation. He knew Kennedy wasn't all bad and most importantly that if anyone could get Claire back, other than himself, its Kennedy.

"Okay, Sherry. Just watch out for women in red, Kennedy is like a stray puppy when it comes to them. Chris and Piers out."

Chris leaned forward to press the button to end the session. As he pushes the button, Piers jumped onto the screen, "Wait! Sherry, right? What's your-?" He was cut off by the video disconnecting.

Sherry immediately turned red and looked away from the camera. With a deep breath, she turned back to the screen and smiled, "Okay, so Germany it is?"

"You guys will do great." Jill smiled, though there was a hint of sadness. "Leon, don't let Chris get to you. He is just worried and I know he knows how much Claire means to you. Let me know if you guys need anything. Jill out." She gave a small wave before disconnecting.

Sherry smirked, poking Leon's arm as she said in a sing-song voice, "Oh! How much Claire means to you!"

'_Women.' _

Shaking his head, he fought the urge to smile and looked back at Hunnigan. "So, Hunnigan, when's the next flight to Germany?"

"For you two? Unfortunately, I can't send you two anywhere without permission from Chief Simmons. He has to review the evidence, meet with the rest of the security advisors, get clear access into Germany…"

'_And a bunch of political bullshit that kills even more time for us.' _

"So, it would be out of your hands if I just so happened to buy a ticket for Sherry and myself on my own account and didn't wait for your approval?"

Putting the pieces together, she began to smile. "It would be frowned upon, for sure. But, it wouldn't be the first time I had to clean up your mess, huh? Do what you two have to do, it is urgent after all. I'll take care of Simmons."

"You're a doll, Hunnigan. Remind me to give you a raise after this."

Hunnigan rolled her eyes. She was used to Leon's ways by know, at the point where she's completely immune to it. "Just get going. Keep me in the loop. Hunnigan out." And with that, she was disconnected.

Almost awestruck, Sherry looked up at Leon. "You...really do get away with everything, don't you?"

"Oh, not everything. But it certainly does make my life easier. Let's go."


End file.
